William E. Morton

Hypothyroidism and Spontaneous Abortions among Hanford, Washington, Downwinders

Spontaneous abortions occurred more than twice as frequently in hypothyroid women, compared with nonhypothyroid women. Both groups of women had lived in the same environment during the same period of time. The high incidence of hypothyroidism in a cohort of several hundred women who lived downwind of the Hanford, Washington, nuclear installation was likely associated with environmental contamination from deliberate releases of radioactive iodine from the facility.

Effects of socioeconomic status on incidences of three sexually transmitted diseases.

A new socioeconomic index scored for census tract characteristics (income, education, and household crowding) was used for study of the socioeconomic patterns of incidences of syphilis, gonorrhea, and squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix in Oregons three metropolitan statistical areas. Cases of syphilis and gonorrhea were reported, but cases of uterine cancer were found by intensive searches of records from hospitals and pathology laboratories. For all three diseases there was a striking inverse relationship between incidence and urban socioeconomic status, a fact that indicated that this distribution pattern is probably real and not a function of reporting bias. This strong socioeconomic effect on the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases probably reflects corresponding differences in frequencies of nonmarital sexual contacts among the different socioeconomic strata; these differences should be recognized in our efforts to develop more rational control measure for application in the community. From the information available about contacts of persons with syphilis, it appeared that this socioeconomic incidence pattern was a function of heterosexual behavior.

Reproductive outcomes after radiation exposure.

Reproductive Outcomes after Radiation Exposure Charles Grossman;William Morton;Rudi Nussbaum; Epidemiology

Geographic pathology of uterine cancers in oregon: Risks of double primaries and effects of socioeconomic status☆

An intensive statewide study of uterine cancer incidence for the period 1968-1972 revealed that women with one histologic type of uterine cancer were much more susceptible to the simultaneous presence of a second histologic type than were the rest of the residents of the state. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common uterine cancer; peak number and rate were found in the age group 25-29 years, indicating the need for periodic screening of young adult women and the need for discussion of neoplasia risk in adolescent sex education classes. Risks of squamous cell carcinoma and leiomyosarcoma were excessive among blacks. Socioeconomic status had a strong and consistent inverse relationship with uterine squamous cell carcinoma incidence, implying that its major risk determinant, sexual behavior, could have a similar socioeconomic pattern. Uterine adenocarcinoma incidence had a weaker but consistent direct relationship with socioeconomic status for which the cause is unknown.

Geographic pattern of hypertension in Colorado. Mortality and prevalence data agree.

Two methods of classification of age-adjusted mortality statistics had indicated that in a band of counties on the high plains in eastern Colorado, the 1959–1961 death rate had persisted at the 1949–1951 level in contrast to the steep decline manifest in all other rural and urban regions of the state. For confirmation, prevalence of hypertension was studied among all 33,484 Colorado Selective Service System registrants born in 1939–1941, of whom 11,003 had been examined during 1957–1964. Hypertension was identified in 275 individuals, 8.2 per 1,000, and their geographic distribution agreed with the geographic mortality pattern. Thus, relative to the rest of the state, a high-risk hypertension region may have emerged in Colorado for reasons that are not yet clear. Since there is a geographic pattern, there is reason to suspect a changing environment.

Community Fear of Nonionizing Radiation: A Field Investigation

Four children from the same school class developed cancer. Because of concern in the community, a field study designed to document levels of environmental, nonionizing radiation was undertaken. Two school sites were investigated, the one with the cluster of cases and the other without known cases of cancer. The measured values of nonionizing radiation at both sites were not different and were well below existing exposure standards.